Club rules outdated
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yes, they might grumble....as you say....M&D are paying...but part of this thread is thinking how the sites can be made more attractive to those younger customers (in whatever way....) so that they do find it attactive and then retain the desire to return as they get a bit older....
im not sure what the 'formula' is, but is isn't the current one....that's squarely aimed at M&D.
yes, sites are full, but this is partly because it's the parents who wish to be there, not necessarily the kids..
there have been a few suggestions about how things might change, what other elements could be incorporated to give a bit more variety.
for sure, the busiest happiest campsites (for all ages) we've been on (obviously overseas) have had something extra...a bar/coffee shop, some sort of kids room, inevitibly a pool and a bar/restaurant for the family to eat together in the evening.
however, there is a huge culture difference between what we see 'over there' and here...
i guess many of the folk who 'don't like pools' don't/can't swim, yet it may be that the kids would love it...perhaps it's an age thing with older members.
the last club site we stayed on a few weeks back was Hillhead...the weather was good, many folk were using the pool, the pool bar for drinks and snacks and meals together with the family in the evening...
its the only club site we've been on where we've actually seen folk doing things that aren't possible at a typical club site and it reminded us of the different buzz we get when away....
now, I realise many of us older members don't want a buzz, but in twenty years who knows what the customers of that day will want out of vanning....
most of the 'mustnt Change anything' brigade will be long gone and it will be today's youngsters who will (or won't) using the club sites of the future.
no doubt the club mgt are planning for that time .....
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well, obviously there's nothing to keep them on a typical club site...
on differently equipped sites! customers can go out for the day, sight seeing or whatever! but they can also choose to make use of the on site facilities....not everyone wants to go out every day...
things were certainly more in this mode at Hillhead.....
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i guess many of the folk who 'don't like pools' don't/can't swim
In our case the opposite is true. We all swim well, two to county standard, and find leisure pools frustrating to use
I’m happy enough to use a campsite with a pool but won’t pay a premium to do so
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i guess many of the folk who 'don't like pools' don't/can't swim, yet it may be that the kids would love it...perhaps it's an age thing with older members.
Not true in my case BB. I swim several times a week at home. However, it is heated to a suitable temperature and more importantly adult only, so I can actually swim.
I really enjoyed the pools over there, at 17 / 19€ a night it was great and there was rarely more than a few in. Not so sure I would have liked it so much at double that and full of kids during the holidays.
A pool here, to be available when most of us caravan, would have to be covered, heated and attended. Very, Very expensive to run and could only increase prices above current levels.
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Well that clearly suits you David and if you are in an area with guaranteed good weather and sea on hand then I can see why you'd use it as a destination - not many club sites fall into that category.
But, to be honest, it would be anathema to us. When we tour overseas - and stay in hotels - we don't even stay in one place then, and we've stayed in some excellent hotels with every possible facility. To us the idea is to get out and about exploring new areas so we'd hire a car or use public transport. I can't remember the last time we spent a full day at any hotel.
Do you explore at all when you go to Cuba?
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so that they do find it attactive and then retain the desire to return as they get a bit older..
to quote Al Murray I think it's more more complicated than that
The 'standard family' as I have seen over the years is in their thirties and forties, Were the parents club users as children? If they were then they had even less of on-site facilities than there is now, not to mention no EHU perhaps, and no current van mod-cons. Why are they using caravan sites now?
As the current children row up and have families of their own I would imagine that a different mindset comes into play, one based on 'economics'. You want a cheaper holiday for your family, start with a tent and progress, or splash out on one big foreign holiday aboard or use that money to finance a caravan/MH that can be used more often over the entire year, we did the latter.
My own children half still like to come away in the van, the rest prefer more traditional holidays in hotels and B&B where they still travel out each day, I have asked and the actual site and facailties played no part in their decision .
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A pool here, to be available when most of us caravan, would have to be covered, heated and attended. Very, Very expensive to run and could only increase prices above current levels.
hillhead isn't covered, it's heated, as would any outdoor pool be in this country...yet, Hillhead is priced as per other sites...
it may well be that the bar, restaurant etc is actually contributing to the profitable running of the site?...
seems to be very popular.
but in fairness Steve, this point wasn't about when you holiday, it was about making sites more popular for when kids might be travelling, and as you don't go away at those times.......
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‘most of the 'mustnt Change anything' brigade will be long gone and it will be today's youngsters who will (or won't) using the club sites of the future’
BB, ‘the mustn’t change anything’ brigade, does that include those who don’t want the C&MC to extend the Service Pitch numbers?🤔
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Ah, somebody else spotted the anomaly.
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Not what we generally found David. It was usually breakfast, kids off for a wash whilst I make butties and then out. Back around 5pm, mucky kids off for a shower whilst I made a meal. After evening meal a game of boules if weather was good or tennis rackets and sponge ball. I would usually sit down for a glass of wine after the kids were ready for bed
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you'll see Ive come up with a solution on that thread....
convert the lot, put up pitch prices by £5 across the board and be done with it..I'm sure everyone will be delighted.
plenty of cash for a decent pool here and there
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BB...you nicked my suggestion made in another thread....I said convert all to SP and make a standard charge across the board of £50 pn per pitch....in fact the club has gone further by keeping the per person/child ratio increase which realises more income than my suggestion of £50 per pitch... (£52+ on standard...+ supplement for SP... is creeping up to the £60pn mark)..At this rate of £70 pn will be the norm by 2020. Better start looking for some blue chip that will help me pay for our hobby...
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ha, yes it's interesting that some really would want the whole site converted as you say.....then £40 a couple will be the norm, with more for families.
strangely, whenever any other suggestions are made which may (or may not) have a cost, these same folk cry foul at the thought of rising prices...
ive said many times, club sites are expensive for what they offer....which is not a lot beyond a pitch and a toilet block.
if we were getting the full Monty of the facilities I expect on a full fat site, it would be far more than this and, to a degree, these prices 'might' be partway justified....tha fact that we normally get them for about €17 just adds contrast....where low season accounts for most of the continental year...whereas the greater portion of the club year qualifies as 'peak' (most of it) so average prices can't do much else than remain high...
ps....apologies for mentioning a euro site in this section....
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It always surprises me that the Club sells one sort of site here in the UK and sells a completely different sort of site overseas. So inconsistent !
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the club owns or runs sites over there? when did that happen?Might be tempted
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thank goodness, they don't.
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of course if they were run to the same high standard, and as safe as sites over here, why not?
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Throw in a few 5* pods & I may be interested👍🏻😊
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It's a fact of contemporary life that most people want the rules changed to suit their current situation.
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